The Foreign Office is issuing a warning as the airport in Italy has closed as the runway has been hit by debris

The Foreign Office has issued a warning to tourists traveling to Italy, warning that an airport has been closed due to safety concerns as volcanic ash covers the runways. Increased activity at both Mount Etna and Stromboli in Sicily and southern Italy is causing concern among officials.

Delays and cancellations are affecting passengers using Catania, Sicily’s busiest airport, due to the recent eruption of Mount Etna. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that all flights were suspended.

In recent days, Europe’s tallest active volcano has seen increased activity, with the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia in Catania reporting that ash has reached a height of 2.7 miles.

Aeroporto di Catania said: “Catania Airport’s runway is unusable due to volcanic ash fall: both arrivals and departures are suspended. At this time, flight operations are expected to resume at 3:00 p.m. Don’t go to the airport without checking. your flight status.”

In a new update today, the Foreign Office said: “Due to volcanic activity, local authorities have raised alert levels for both Mount Etna and Stromboli in southern Italy. In the event of a volcanic eruption, follow the advice of local authorities. See more information about volcanoes.

“Arrivals and departures at Catania airport are suspended with flights canceled or diverted to Palermo or Comiso. If you are traveling to or from Catania, please check with your travel provider or Catania airport.”

Around 90 outbound and inbound flights impacting around 15,000 passengers have been cancelled. These include British Airways flights to and from London Gatwick and easyJet connections to Luton and Bristol.

Passengers expressed their frustration at being stranded. ITA Airways announced: “Catania Airport Due to the eruptive activity of Etna and the presence of volcanic ash on the runways, @CTAairport is currently closed and flights are expected to resume at 15:00. Please check flight status on http://ita-airways.com and APP before going to the airport.”

EasyJet said: “We’re sorry your flight has been cancelled. This is because the volcanic activity in CTA (Catania) is causing restrictions in the areas where aircraft are allowed to fly. The safety of you and our crew is our highest priority and we thank you for your understanding.”

James Martin took to social media to express his frustration, saying: “Thank you @easyJet for canceling my flight leaving me stranded in Catania until Monday at the earliest! Or I have to take a bath in a four hour taxi ride to Palermo! How! can you get away with treating pax like this?